It's the TOPSHOP SS13 preview!

So it wouldn't be much of a blog if I didn't give you a peek at what I saw at the Topshop SS13 press preview, right? RIGHT.

I'm meant to be your eyes and ears for the latest High Street fashion, and seeing as practically the whole world and her sister shop at the mighty Topshop, here is an essential insider preview of what you'll all be buying in the Spring.

Note that some pieces are customized samples so they won't be identical to what goes into production.  Some of what we see at press days are raw designs by the creatives before they get the High Street tone-down treatment.

So, here are some snaps of my favourite new pieces from one of my favourite brands. Just got to wait for them to hit the rails now...

 

Label love: Disaya

I am such a sucker for anything involving our furry friends, so cute and quirky label Disaya was always going to steal my heart a weeny bit.

I love popping in to see my PR pals who look after this label, not only as they are top girls who feed me chocolate, but each time I go in I find myself cooing over some new delicate, cute-as-a-button dress, or fairytale-inspired jewellery by Disaya. (Her AW12 collection had me hooked with merry-go-round horses, ant pinky rings and teddy bear necklaces - I tried to somehow get them into every shoot I did...) Unlike some designers where it seems like an afterthought, Disaya's jewellery totally complements her gorgeous clothing and could happily stand alone.

So who is Disaya? Disaya is Central St Martin's grad Disaya Sorakraikitikul (try saying that after a shandy) who has been creating her wonderfully whimsical designs internationally since 2007.  She has done well to find herself in Harvey Nichols, Harrods and Henri Bendels, and on some of the coolest celebs here and stateside, including Aggy and Kelly O.

Here is a sneak peak at some snaps I took of her SS13 jewellery collection which I adore. I basically spent about five minutes squealing over the hedgehogs feet (feet!! FEEEET! TOOOES!), oh and how can I forget the pearl-eared mice? So so so so damn cute!

 

 

Check out those tootsies!

And here are a few of her gorgeous ready-to-wear pieces for SS13...

The Tulisa cover

Here is the very, very cool Tulisa, rocking an androgynous teddy boy look, out today in Fabulous magazine, styled by me. I am so chuffed with how different we managed to make her look, despite having her usual hair and make up crew.

Wearing Olivia Rubin shirt and Marks & Spencer (yes M&S!) suit

Shirt by Moschino and trousers by Alice + Olivia, both at Harvey Nichols,  shoes by Dune

Wearing Topshop suit, Equipment at Harvey Nichols shirt, Dannijo necklace and Irregular Choice shoes.
All pics © Derrick Santini/Fabulous magazine

It was a tricky trend for even the skinniest and tallest of models to pull off - patterned trouser suits. Eeeek! But she nailed it. The outspoken X Factor judge was so easy going and wore whatever I asked her too. Not a whiff of a diva demand or a strop at what was being asked of her. A true pro.

Here's a few snaps from behind the scenes on the day as we were setting up waiting for the T-meister to arrive.

Stylin' up

The Irregular Choice shoes that made the cover.

One of many gorgeous Equipment shirts I could have picked, necklace by Dannijo and sunnies by Irregular Choice.

Endless accessory options...

Sunnies, sunnies, and more sunnies.

Hope you like Tulisa's look?

I've been lucky enough to work with her fellow judge NICOLE SCHERZINGER (eeeeeek!!) this week so look out for the pictures from that rather exciting shoot on here.

Granny knows best

Isn't it funny how you don't appreciate things at the time?

I love vintage charm necklaces and have wanted a gold coin necklace for a while now, always cooing over Laura Lee's beautiful designs when I go into her shop in Covent Garden, and an obsessive fan of Anina Vogel's pieces she makes from reclaimed vintage jewellery. 

So you can imagine my utter joy yesterday when I found this necklace wrapped in cotton wool inside a little plastic box, tucked away in my old jewellery box. I couldn't believe it. My Grandma's old gold sovereign necklace she wore all the time that was passed to me after she died when I was in my early twenties. At the time I perhaps didn't appreciate the beauty of it, but kept it safe as a memory of Grandma Elsie. The cigarette-loving, Ibiza-going Essex girl.

It's a 1913 King George V sovereign, with King George on one side and St.George slaying the dragon on the other.

I've yet to find out if it's a real gold original and therefore probably worth a bit too, but I'm not really fussed. It's just nice to wear something that belonged to her and I love. I'm so glad I found this!

Thanks Grandma, love Chloe-Jane (as I was always known to her) X

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Just check out the lights in Covent Garden's Neal Street - one of my favourite areas to wander around at Christmas. Beautiful.

I think it's time to do some Christmas shopping for myself. The boyfriend and I have a £50 limit this year so why not spend what I normally would do on him, on me?

I've been swooning over Liberty's updates on Facebook.

Firstly I'd like these little fellas, to sit in the fireplace...

Picture © Liberty 

Then, I'm a sucker for delicate jewellery so v tempted to treat myself to one of these gorgeous Jordan Askill heart and stone rings...

Picture © Liberty 

The list goes on...!

The edit: Rebecca Minkoff & Irregular Choice SS13

I work with Dust PR a lot as they look after Rokit Vintage, which is great for editorial and cover shoots, but I thought I'd highlight a couple of their other brands who impressed at the SS13 press day last week.

Irregular Choice had always felt to me like one of those slightly lairy brands that the quirky girls at uni wore. I was never quite sold until this AW season. I had some great shoes and sunnies for a shoot with Tulisa the other week and they looked amazing on her. The designs are bolder and heels are higher. So I was a convert, and their SS13 pieces are even better...

I mean, who DOESN'T love a donut on a shoe?

Amazing neck pieces!

Also on show were Rebecca Minkoff's handbags, which I now want all of...

MASSIVE thanks to the girls at Dust who decided to have a bake-off at the event. Hurrah! I have never eaten so much cake in my life. The Victoria sponge won it for me...

H&M SS13

There was a full-on ethnic vibe when you walked into the H&M press room last week, showcasing the new SS13 range.

Colourful giant tassels (that wouldn't look out of place on curtains in a castle), embroidery, global prints and detailed embellishment - it felt a bit like walking around a Moroccan souk rather than a High Street press event.

What's nice was that it felt exciting - like you just can't wait to see this stuff in the shops. This is what the cool kids will be wearing.

And it's always a good sign when Fashion Editors frantically asking when pieces are out - basically because we cannot wait to wear them ourselves, usually.

A tropical twist and continuity of studs and leathers make this collection one of my favourites from the brand for a while.

Look out for fashionistas rocking the red giant tassel skirt early next year!

Here a few of my favourite pieces:

Holly from the H&M press team looking gorgeous in THAT skirt and applique jumper from the SS13 range.

Spring preview at Exposure

So much to see, so little time! Here's a few snaps from the SS13 press event at Exposure HQ...

Dr Marten's Spring looks

DMs go fluoro-geek

Claire's have some cracking shades for next summer. A bit cheaper than Ray Ban's too...

Claire's

Pile 'em on at festival time. Arm candy at Claire's.

New Nikes. Swoosh shwoo!

Love these!

Sexy wellies at Hunters.

Clever shirt solutions for summer from Mr. Start.